Probably been asked loads of times before sorry.
Looking for a new bike for junior. He's a very small about to be 8 year old. He's currently got a 14" islabike and it's brilliant. However the small 20" model is a bit steep at £330. There seems to be a lot out there and narrowing it down is difficult to say the least. Any recommendations?
IMHO its not worth spending that much but you do get gears so something decent
I had a KONA something or other and Ridgeback for mine
Both decent and I got back more or less what I paid for them - though I had added new tyres.
24" are better as you get triples and suspension.
Even my short 10 year old - smallest in his class has had a 24 " since December when he was only 9 .
thanks aracer and toys it works great
The used prices for islabikes are bonkers though, seems pointless buying used. Our 3 year old will be on the cnoc 14 after Christmas I reckon. He's on a ridgeback balance bike at the mo
I've had CUBE bikes for my son as he's been growing, Team 20" then onto 24"
And as mentioned above I got back more or less what I spent on them as you do with Islabikes as well.
I nipped into Harrogate the other week as I needed to go to Cotswold Outdoors followed by an impromptu visit to the Specialized store next door where I picked up a Hardtock with 26" Wheels and a small frame, he will outgrow that but as I got 40% off it was a must.
There were plenty of good kids bikes lined up in there though, far more than 5 years ago when I was looking for his first 20" wheeled bike. They even had a kids Fat Bike in there which was pricey at £750 but try as I might I couldn't persuade him to even sit on it. His comments were hilarious especially as the bloke opposite was buying the adults version and the poor chap heard every word as did his Partner who looked like she was thinking the same thing.
Islabike, Hoy, Frog all seem to be popular. When you work it out the ownership cost of Islabikes are actually quite low (buy new, sell 2nd hand they don't cost you much.)
Check out the weight though and pay for lightweight rather than suspension (heavy and doesn't tend to work with light kids) or other whistles and bells.
Lots of Islabikes lined up at the Gorrick 12:12 kids race
[img] 
[/img]
The Specialized Hot Rocks have really low standovers, and there are always loads of them for not-daft money on fleabay
Review of 20" bikes here: http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/gear/article/best-kids-bikes-20in-girls-and-boys-bikes-on-test-39099/
Note that at 8kg the Islabikes are 3 to 4kg lighter than the others...........
Frog bike.. There's stock due on the frog55 in the next week or so..
I'd already seen that review natrix thanks, didn't help much apart from pointing me back at islabike. I'd discounted the frog because of the weight and fork but the new model 55 is very comparable to the islabike, but £80 cheaper! I think I'll be going for that, thanks for the comments
Picking between Frog and Islabike on affordability is probably the best option. Having looked and owned both makes I'd say you do get what you pay for - so there is 80 quid's worth of different between them - but the Frog is still a nice bike. I would say that if he's small then weight has to be an important factor in your decision.
My 2 are on Islabikes. Eldest (mid front-row in natrix's pic) will move up to an xs 26er in the next few months, once I've sourced and built one. Youngest will get the 24" one in the pic and then i'll have the 20" for sale if you are still interested then?
The frog bike also comes with 2 sets of tyres and mud guards included..
You have to pay extra for those at Islabike..